The present invention relates to stage lighting devices incorporating light valves for projecting images on a stage.
Stage lighting devices incorporating light valves for the projection of images are known in the art. Stage lighting devices incorporating light valves are used to project patterns on a stage. Before electronic light valves, stage lighting devices used metal stencil patterns that were indexed on a wheel to produce the projected patterns upon the stage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,176 to Bornhorst titled xe2x80x9cLight pattern generatorxe2x80x9d describes glass substrates with aluminum coatings that are used as projection patterns in a lighting device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,332 titled xe2x80x9cSelectable mechanical and electronic pattern generating aperture modulexe2x80x9d to Richardson describes an electronic aperture or light valve used to generate the patterns projected from a lighting device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,956 titled xe2x80x9cHigh intensity lighting projectorsxe2x80x9d to Hutton describes a controllable image quality projection gate providing advanced visual effects. Other types of electronic light valves have also been used with lighting devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,485 titled xe2x80x9cProgrammable light beam shape altering device using programmable micromirrorsxe2x80x9d to Hewlett describes a digital micromirror device (xe2x80x9cDMDxe2x80x9d) that is used to alter the shape of light that is projected onto a stage.
The prior art stage lighting devices are designed around a single light valve as the projection gate. The inventors have optimized their inventions to work best as a lighting device. Many inventors prefer the single light valve system as it may have a reduced cost over multiple light valve systems. High End Systems (Trademarked) of Austin, Tex. has found success with a multiple light valve projector in combination with a positioning mirror. The device called a Catalyst (Trademarked) is used like a periscope that mounts to the front of a video projector. It allows static images or moving video to be projected anywhere within a 360xc2x0 by 180xc2x0 hemisphere of movement. Images can be manipulated limitlessly in real-time from a dedicated control console. The preferred projector type of the prior art is a three light valve system. More information can be found at: Http://www.highend.com/pdfbin/NewCatalyst.pdf. The device is limited however as it uses a conventional multiple light valve projection system and can only produce a limited color palette.
In the prior art a single light valve is used. An aperture device containing filters or multiple aperture devices containing filters are located between a lamp producing white light and a single light valve to change the color of the light from the lamp sent to the single light valve. The single light valve systems can not do full color images unless they spin an aperture device containing color filters of red, blue and green in front of the single light valve. The aperture device containing the colors of red, blue and green is rotated, in the prior art, at a certain frequency in sync with the single light valve to produce a full color image. Because each color is only on for a third of the time, much of the energy from the lamp is lost. An example of this technique is shown at http://howstuffworks.lycos.com/proiection-tv5.htm
With existing regular video projection, three light valves are used with the white light produced from a lamp separated into red, green and blue as more of the light from the lamp is used to produce a full color image
The problem is that for a video projection device built for video the red, green and blue colors are specially selected.
The present invention discloses a lighting device using multiple light valves which provide an improved contrast ratio from devices of the prior art. The lighting devices of embodiments of the present invention are capable of projecting a wide range of available colors.
The present invention allows a greater array of colors both saturated and less saturated to be used by first allowing the widest production of red, green and blue by a color separation system or device and then modifying the colors from the color separation system with aperture devices that contain color filters. Aperture devices modify the separated colors.
It is one object of the present invention to construct a multiple light valve lighting device with an improved lighting color palette.
It is yet another object of the present invention to construct a multiple light valve lighting device with an improved contrast ratio.
It is yet another object of the present invention to transmit commands over a communication system to the multiple light valve lighting devices where custom color palettes may be selected remotely.
It is yet another object of the present invention for the multiple light valve device to automatically improve the contrast ratio based upon the program material.
It is yet another object of the present invention for the multiple light valve lighting device to shutter the outputs of the individual light valves upon a command over the communication system.
It is yet another object of the present invention for the multiple light valve lighting device to shutter all of the individual light valves to produce a black out.